Loom picker with tab



Jan- 21, 1969 c. E. MURRAY 3,422,862

LOOM PICKER WITH TAB Filed Feb. 28, 1967 INVENTOR COYT E. MURRAY BY W% ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,422,862 LOOM PICKER WITH TAB 'Coyt E. Murray, Gastonia, N.C., assignor to Impact Plastics, Incorporated, Gastonia, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Feb. 28, 1967, Ser. No. 619,477 U.S. Cl. 139-159 Int. Cl. D03d 49/39 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention As was stated in applicants prior Patent No. 3,229,726, issued Jan. 18, 1966, loom pickers must be constructed to withstand repeated impacts from the point of the shuttle without bursting or splitting, while exhibiting exceptional wear-resistance to promote the long life thereof. But on the other hand, the loom picker should also exhibit an excellent shock absorbing characteristic for absorbing suflicient energy from the shuttle upon impact of the shuttle point thereagainst to permit boxing of the shuttle in a normal manner. Also, this resilient characteristic eliminates vibrations set up in the loom, as well as greatly reducing the noise caused by the shuttles striking the pickers.

Various attempts have been made at combining these two features, that of resiliency and strength, as was discussed in applicants prior Patent No. 3,229,726. One of these attempts involves a typical form of loom picker which comprises essentially a two piece construction in which the body to be mounted on the picker stick is constructed of a material less resilient and elastic than an insert incorporated therein for receiving the impact of the shuttle point. However, this form of loom picker is prone to burst or split under repeated impacts of a shuttle tip.

Summary It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved loom picker which includes a body formed of relatively rigid material, such as high molecular weight polyethylene, and an insert formed of resilient elastomeric material to absorb vibration and noise.

It is another-object of this invention to provide an improved loom picker in which the body is formed of a relatively rigid material such as high molecular weight polyethylene, the insert is formed of a relatively resilient material, and also comprises an outwardly extending tab received within the same loop portion in which the picker stick is received, to provide a double thickness of resilient material which appreciably aids in the reduction of vibration and noise.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a loom picker with a removable resilient insert which may be firmly seated without the use of adhesives or other fastening elements.

These and other objects of my invention are preferably accomplished by constructing the body of the loom picker of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, wherein the molecular weight of the polyethylene is of the order of 1,000,000 and above, and the impact-receiving insert of a polyurethane elastomer substance. A loom picker so constructed is effective for its intended use over a long life service and successfully combines the characteristics of high impact strength and resistance to abrasion, with the desirable but contrasting characteristics of ample shock-absorption to a degree not achieved in loom pickers prior to my invention, in so far as I am aware.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a loom picker constructed in accordance with the present invention, and showing in plantom lines a portion of a picker stick on which the loom picker is adapted to be mounted;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation partly in section showing the tab member positioned between the picker stick and the front wall of a passageway formed in the picker body through which the picker stick extends;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view section, taken along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the insert removed from the loom picker.

Description of preferred embodiments Referring more specifically to the drawings, the loom picker, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, comprises a body 10 constructed of a relatively rigid, abrasive-resistant material, preferably ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. A loop portion 13 defines a tapered passageway 14 extending vertically through the rear portion of the body 10 to receive a conventional picker stick P.

The forward surface 9 of body 10 is provided with a frusto-conical recess 12 which receives the point of the shuttle S as shown in FIGURE 2, when the shuttle returns across the raceway. At the innermost point of the frustoconical recess, the body 10 includes a longitudinal orifice 11 extending into the interior of the body 10 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 for the purpose of allowing the point of the shuttle S to center itself.

The body 10, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, is provided with a vertical slot 24- extending from the bottom surface 19 of the body into the interior thereof between the frusto-conical recess 12 and the tapered passageway 14 and terminating at its inner end in an enlarged bulbous portion 26. The opposite or lower end of the slot 24 is also enlarged and defines a shoulder 25 spaced inwardly from the lower wall 19 of the body 10. A narrow median portion 27 extends between the lbulbous portion 26 and the enlarged lower end of the slot.

The improved loom picker further comprises a resilient elastomeric insert 16 shown in FIGURE 1, which includes four distinct sections. The first section is a narrow thin tongue member 18; the second section a relatively enthickened portion 17; the third section comprises a wider flat portion 20; and the fourth section is a transverse bead 22 that extends across the upper edge of the flat portion 20.

It can be seen from FIGURES 1-3 that the elastomeric 16 may be releasably seated in slot 24 and retained in the picker body by the bead 22 which is firmly but not securely retained within the bulbous slot 26. Therefore, no adhesive or other bonding agent or apparatus is necessary to hold the insert within the picker. However, if desired, the body 10 may be cold formed around the transverse sides of insert 16 as shown at 29 in FIGURE 3 in order to secure the insert 16 in body 10.

As can be seen from FIGURES 2 and 3, the tongue portion 18 of the insert 16 is positioned through the forward portion of vertical passageway 14 and is held therein between the picker stick P and the wall 15 facing passageway 14. The picker stick P may be provided With serrations 31 along the front face thereof so as to provide a better gripping surface for holding the lower portion 18 of insert 16 within the slot. In such case, the front wall of passageway 14 may also include serrations 34. The resulting force of the shuttle striking the picker would urge the serrated portion into the elastomeric material to aid in holding insert 16 within the slot. Alternatively, if desired the lower portion 18 may be provided with corresponding serrations along the surface thereof.

It will be unuderstood that when the shuttle S strikes the conical recess 12 as shown in FIGURE 2, the walls of slot 24 are forced toward each other, and the wall 15 facing passageway 14 is urged toward the front surface of the picker stick. Therefore, the portions 17 and 18 and to a lesser extent 20 of insert 16 are squeezed together by this action and thus, absorbing a substantial quantity of the vibrations and noise which might otherwise be produced if the picker 10 were a solid member. Also, by positioning the lower portion 18 of insert 16 between the picker stick P and front wall 15, there is provided a double thickness of resilient material which substantially increases the amount of vibrations absorbed by the resilient insert 16.

The lower portion 18 of insert 16 serves a second purpose; that of retaining tab member 16 Within the picker 10 and preventing lateral motion. The lower portion 18 is so constructed as to have a width slightly narrower than the transverse dimension of passageway 14. Therefore, when the lower portion 18 is positioned in passageway 14, there is a very little possibility of side to-side motion, and thus the tab 16 cannot inadvertently slide out of slot 24. The cold forming of the body 10 around the sides of insert 16 as previously described will also prevent lateral movement of the resilient member 16.

Thus it will be seen that I have disclosed a new and improved loom picker in which a resilient elastomeric insert is held within a relatively rigid, wear-resistant loom picker to provide a means for taking up vibrations and noise which otherwise might be transmitted to the loom and through the weaving room. Moreover, the loom picker provides superior performance over a longer life of service by taking advantage of the high impact strength and wear-resistant qualities of the material from which the icker is made, without sacrificing the requisite shockabsorption necessary in a loom picker.

In the drawings and specification there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A loom picker comprising:

(a) a body member of relatively rigid, wear-resistant material having a loop portion at one end thereof for receiving a picker stick, and a shuttle engaging surface at the other end;

(b) a resilient member positioned in said body member between said loop portion and said shuttle engaging surface to absorb vibrations and noise emitted when the picker is engaged by a shuttle;

(c) said body member being further provided with a transverse slot across the width thereof and extending from one wall of the body member toward the opposite wall of the body member and said slot terminating at its inner extremity in spaced relation to said opposite wall of the body member, said resilient member extending into said slot; and

(d) means supporting said resilient member within said slot.

2. A loom picker according to claim 1 wherein said last-named means is located adjacent the inner extremity of the slot and said resilient member depends therefrom.

3. A loom picker according to claim 1 wherein said resilient member is of a length at least substantially equal to the distance between the said inner extremity and said one wall of the body member.

4. A loom picker according to claim 1 wherein said means supporting said resilient member comprises an enlarged opening extending along and communicating with the inner extremity of said transverse slot, and said resilient member being provided with an enlarged bead along its upper edge approximately the same diameter as said enlarged opening, the enlarged opening receiving the enlarged bead of said resilient member and retaining the resilient member from removal except by movement along the axis of said enlarged portion.

5. A loom picker according to claim 4 wherein the width of said resilient member is less than the corresponding dimension of said slot, and the material of said rigid body ]adjacent the ends of said slot being cold formed about the sides of the resilient member so as to prevent movement of the resilient member outwardly of the slot.

6. A loom picker according to claim 1 wherein said body member is provided with a plurality of enlarged portions in said slot and extending the width of said body member; said resilient member further including a corresponding number of enthickened portions positioned within the enlarged portions in said slot, wherein additional vibration and noise absorbing qualities are provided for the loom picker.

7. A loom picker according to claim 1 wherein a tab extends exteriorly of the portion of the resilient member held within said transverse slot, said tab being of sufficient length and width when the picker is assembled to the picker stick as to extend into said loop portion nearest said transverse slot, whereby a double thickness of elastomeric material is formed between the picker stick and the shuttle engaging surface.

8. A loom picker according to claim 7 wherein said body member is further provided with an enlarged opening extending along the upper edge of said transverse slot and said resilient member being provided with an enlarged bead across the upper edge thereof approximately the same diameter as said enlarged opening, the enlarged opening of the slot in said body receiving the enlarged bead of said resilient member and retaining it from removal except by movement along the axis of said enlarged opening of said slot.

9. A loom picker according to claim 7 wherein said body member is provided with a plurality of enlarged portions in said slot and extending the length of said slot; said resilient member further including corresponding number of enthickened portions positioned within the enlarged portions in said slot, wherein additional vibration and noise absorbing qualities are provided for the loom picker 10. A loom picker according to claim 7, wherein the wall of said lOOp portion which is nearest said slot is provided with transverse serrations, said tab being provided with transverse serrations on both sides thereof so as to provide a relatively fixed arrangement when assembled to a picker stick which has also been provided with serrations on the face of the picker stick which engages said tab portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,238,444 8/1917 Scacchi 139-l59 2,389,157 11/1945 Kottemann 139159 2,440,182 4/ 1948 Muller 139159 2,754,851 7/1956 Lundgren 139159 2,786,492 3/1957 West 139-159 3,312,253 4/1967 Sedden 139159 3,343,571 9/1967 Fidler 139159 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,291,736 3/1962 France.

374,350 2/ 1964 Switzerland.

JAMES KEE CHI, Primary Examiner. 

